


Take a Piece of My Heart

by cherrylarry



Category: One Direction (Band), Shawn Mendes (Musician)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26490001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylarry/pseuds/cherrylarry
Summary: Niall takes one last look in the mirror, fixing his collar. He smirks and points finger guns at his reflection. Damn, he looks good today.Niall locks his door and walks across the hall to Shawn’s and knocks four times. Shawn opens the door and Niall has to stop himself from gasping. He’s just wearing a white t-shirt with a jean jacket and light blue jeans. He shouldn’t look as good as he does in this outfit.Maybe there is a flaw in Niall’s plan.–The one where Niall invites his neighbor Shawn to a Valentine’s Day get together with his friends and maybe it’s a mistake.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 13
Kudos: 55





	Take a Piece of My Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [musiclily88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiclily88/gifts).



> Whew. So of course this was actually supposed to be posted last February but here we are in September and my shiall fic baby is finally complete!  
> I need to thank my beta for sticking with me through my crazy (slow) writing process ♥
> 
> And without further ado, please enjoy!!

Niall frowns down at the invitation in his hand. It’s for Harry and Louis’ annual Valentine’s dinner party. Hopefully he can get a date before next Friday; he doesn't want to be the only single one there for the third year in a row. Jason really did a number on him, the asshole. Niall hasn't been able to trust anyone to treat him like he deserves. 

“Anything good in the mail today?” 

The question pulls Niall out of his thoughts. When he looks up, he sees his neighbor from across the hall, Shawn. He’s wearing sweatpants and a hoodie and still looks cute as hell. Suddenly, an idea forms in Niall’s head. 

“Nah, just bills and an invite to a Valentine’s party from my mates that live a couple hours away,” Niall answers with a shrug. 

"Like an actual invitation? Wow, I haven't had one of those in a while. All the invites I get are on Facebook." Shawn laughs.

"Yeah Harry and Louis are a bit like that," Niall chuckles. "It's not even anything big. Just the five of us."

“Are you gonna go?” Shawn asks, making casual conversation as they make their way back to the staircase to go up to their floor.

“I don’t know.. I mean, yes. I want to go, I just feel awkward about being the only single one of the group,” Niall says, shrugging again “Unless…” Niall trails off, then shakes his head. “No, never mind.”

“Now you have to tell me. Unless what?” Shawn prods, knocking Niall's shoulder with his own, almost making Niall stumble on the step.

"Unless," Niall says looking over at Shawn through his eyelashes, "you wanted to accompany me?" He's not even sure why he thought this would be a good idea, but there's no going back now.

"Like as a friend, of course," Niall adds when it takes Shawn more than ten seconds to answer. 

"Right, of course. It wouldn't be like a date or anything. Just taking a friend to a Valentine's Day party."

"Right. Exactly." 

"Right," Shawn repeats. They walk up the next flight of stairs in awkward silence.

"So you want to go, then?" Niall asks finally.

Shawn puts a finger on his chin in thought and shrugs. "Sure, why not? It's not like I have plans already," he grins and his dimples make an appearance. Niall kind of wants to poke one.

Niall gives a thumbs up. "Awesome. Thanks, man. I appreciate you agreeing to go with me," Niall claps a hand on Shawn's shoulder and points to his front door. "Now I gotta make me some dinner. I'm starved. See ya later." Niall waves as they say their goodbyes and go into their respective apartments.

* * *

When it's time to pick Shawn up on Valentine's day to drive to Harry and Louis' house, Niall feels a bit uneasy. He's taking a neighbor and casual acquaintance to a party that is only going to have couples.

It'll be fine. Probably.

Niall takes one last look in the mirror, fixing his collar. He smirks and points finger guns at his reflection. Damn, he looks good today. It's a simple outfit, brown button up with three buttons undone with a white tank underneath tucked into black jeans.

Niall locks his door and walks across the hall to Shawn's and knocks four times. Shawn opens the door and Niall has to stop himself from gasping. He's just wearing a white t-shirt with a jean jacket and light blue jeans. He shouldn't look as good as he does in the outfit. 

Maybe there is a flaw in Niall's plan.

"Hey, Niall. You ready to go?" Shawn greets, snapping Niall out of his thoughts. 

"The real question is are _you_ ready to meet my friends," Niall says with a laugh. "They can be… something else."

Shawn laughs along. "I think I'll be okay. I mean, I handled you alright, didn't I?" Shawn closes his door and the two of them head down the stairs.

* * *

When Niall pulls into Harry and Louis’ driveway, he turns to Shawn. “No turning back now.”

"Niall, I'm sure I will be fine," Shawn replies with a laugh and a roll of his brown eyes.

They get out of the car and before they can even knock, the front door opens with Harry on the other side. He has a grin on his face so wide that both of his dimples show. "Niall!" he shouts in greeting.

"Harry!" Niall shouts back.

"Ooh come in, come in! And who, may I ask, is this? A new beau perhaps, eh?" Harry prods with a goofy grin when they're inside the foyer.

"Actually-" Niall starts to explain that Shawn is just a friend when Shawn interrupts.

"I'm Shawn Mendes, Niall's boyfriend." Shawn sticks his hand out for a handshake but Harry grabs his arm and yanks him into a hug instead. Niall is frozen to the spot and has to keep his mouth from falling open.

_He's cute!_ Harry mouths over Shawn's shoulder and Niall is still so shocked that all he can do is smile weakly. Finally he gets his shit together and when Harry pulls away from the hug, Niall grabs Shawn's arm quickly before Harry can drag him away to introduce everybody to Niall's new boyfriend.

"You go on ahead, Haz. I'll take care of our coats. They just go in this closet, right?" 

Harry nods and goes on into the living room. Niall makes sure he's out of earshot before he turns on Shawn. "What are you doing?"

“I’m pretending to be your boyfriend so you don’t have to be the only one with a plus one who's 'just friends'. You know they would draw their own conclusions anyway, if your friends are like you say they are,” Shawn says. Niall hates that it actually makes sense because he does know that everyone in that living room would assume that he and Shawn were dating anyway, so why try to deny it if they aren’t going to listen to reason?

"Okay," Niall says reluctantly, "but did you really think this through? I mean, they're going to want a story. How we got together, how long we've been together, how we met. All of that and more. We need to discuss these things. I don't do well under pressure."

"Just follow my lead, okay? We'll be fine," Shawn says, way too confidently in Niall's opinion. He doesn't really have a choice other than to go with it now.

On their walk down the short hallway into the living room, Niall wonders why Shawn didn't mention his plan on the drive there. They would have had time to get their story straight before they got bombarded with questions about Niall's new 'relationship'. 

“There the lovebirds are! Come here Niall, let me get a good look at you,” Liam exclaims when Niall and Shawn finally walk into the living room. He stands from where he was sitting leaning against his fiancé Zayn and walks toward Niall with his arms out to hug him. 

"Hey, Li. How are you? I've missed you, lad," Niall mumbles into Liam's shoulder.

They stand there, hugging an extra long time and Niall thinks to himself, _I told you Shawn. My friends are really something else._ When they finally break the hug, Liam immediately turns to Shawn and goes straight in for a hug. There's whispering going on between them and Niall can only imagine what Liam is saying.

Niall ignores his worry and greets the others in the room, Zayn and Louis. Harry is in the kitchen getting the drinks ready, Louis tells him. 

Shawn startles Niall when he puts an arm around his waist and rests his head on Niall's shoulder. Niall relaxes into it after a second, and it's weird how natural this is. _It's a little too easy_ he thinks but pushes that thought away too. 

Harry brings in a tray of wine glasses and three bottles of wine and then the party (and really, it's a small get together) is under way.

* * *

"So Shawn," Louis starts, "how did you and our Nialler meet?" They're all sitting in a circle in the living room, wine glasses in hand. Niall and Shawn have the love seat, Liam and Zayn are sprawled out on the couch, and Harry is sitting in Louis' lap in the arm chair.

"Well, we live in the same apartment building and actually on the same floor. Just right across the hall, huh, babe?" Shawn answers easily, throwing in that pet name just as confidently. 

"That's right. And this one here," Niall pokes Shawn's cheek, "just couldn't wait to talk to me. Every time we bumped into each other he had to say _hi_. Isn't that right, honey?" Niall grins at all of his friends eating this up.

"Of course. Who wouldn't want to talk to this handsome face? The most handsome face I've ever seen," Shawn boops Niall's nose, just to be silly.

"How cute!" Harry gushes and then takes a sip of his wine. 

Niall reaches towards the coffee table in the middle and steals a piece of chocolate in one of the heart shaped boxes just to occupy his hands.

"And? How did Shiall come to be? Did you finally admit to yourself just how cute this boy is? Like come on. He's adorable!" Harry asks next.

Shawn turns to Niall. "Shiall?" he whispers, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Niall explains, "It's our ship name. Harry and Louis are Larry and Zayn and Liam is Ziam."

Shawns eyes light up in understanding and then covers his smile with his hand.

"Yeah I guess you can say that. I had the epiphany that I just had to get to know this adorable red cheeked boy," Niall says, answering Harry's question. He's smiling at Shawn when he says it. He feels like he's being too honest, but he reminds himself that he has to make this relationship believable to everyone in the room. So it's okay if he's a bit too honest. 

"Adorable," Harry sighs almost dreamily. "I love love."

"It's a bit too early to be saying love, I think," Niall speaks up tentatively.

"So how long have you been together, then? How long have you been keeping this lovely Shawn from us, Niall?" Louis demands. And shit, what does he say to that?

Thankfully, Shawn comes to his rescue. "Oh it's only been a couple months. I'm sure Niall didn't want to say anything until he knew that we were solid, right babe? And then he asked me to come here to surprise you all." Shawn puts his arm around Niall and kisses his cheek for good measure and Niall nods his agreement.

"Yes, exactly. Thank you, baby." Niall returns the kiss on Shawn's cheek and doesn't think about how simple this really is. He's always thought that Shawn was cute but he never acted on it and now because of this pretend thing they're doing, he can do the things he wants. Call Shawn pet names like it's second nature to him.

And that's dangerous.

It's dangerous because Shawn did this to be nice. He created this fake relationship with him because he felt bad for Niall, that he was going to a Valentine's Day party with just a friend.

"Me and Harry said _I love you_ when we were only going out for three months. It's not that early," Louis cuts in, breaking Niall out of his spiralling thoughts.

"We all can't be like you and find our _one person_ in three months Louis." 

"Yeah, it took me and Liam five years to get our shit together," Zayn pipes up. Niall thought he was asleep for how quiet he's been throughout this conversation.

"Alright, alright. Point made. I'll back off." Louis raises his hands in surrender.

"Now who wants to eat? I have my fajitas almost ready!" Harry says, jumping off Lou's lap and heading into the kitchen.

"Oh! Niall and I will help you," Liam says, shooting Niall a pointed look like he's daring him to object . 

"Yeah, okay." Niall stands up and without a second thought, bends down to kiss Shawn.

On the lips.

It is just a short one, barely even a second long, but it's the fact that he didn't even think about it. He just did it. He doesn't get to gauge Shawn's reaction because he turns and walks away in the direction of the kitchen.

"Alright, Niall," Liam says as soon as the door to the kitchen swings closed. "Spill."

Niall scoffs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit you don't know," Harry says while he prepares the plates of fajita fillings.

“What do you want me to say?” Niall asks.

“Everything, dude, You haven’t dated anyone since you-know-who.”

“You can say his name, Liam,” Niall rolls his eyes as he steals a piece of chicken from one of the plates. Harry slaps his hand. “And I know. It’s just taken me a while to get over Jason.”

“It’s been three years,” Harry points out gently.

“Like I said. A while.” Jason had broken his heart. Niall deserved the right amount of time to get back out into the pond and both Harry and Liam knew it.

There's a short pause in the conversation that Niall really wishes someone would break. Harry is still getting the food ready with Liam’s help and Niall decides that they don’t need him, since he’s not helping anyway. So he heads back into the living room where Louis and Zayn are sitting with Shawn.

Shawn looks up when Niall opens the door and gives him a look that definitely says _save me._ It turns out that he picked the perfect time to save Shawn from Louis’ line of questioning. 

“Alright Lou, stop torturing my boy with your questions. Come on,” Niall says, walking up behind Shawn and wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on Shawn’s shoulder.

Louis scoffs. “I was doing nothing of the sort. We were just getting to know each other, weren't we Zayn?” 

Zayn looks up from where he was scrolling on his phone, obviously not paying attention to what was going on around him. “What?”

Before Louis could explain what they were talking about, Harry poked his head in to let them know that the food was ready. They all pick up their discarded wine glasses and head into the dining room. Niall lets Louis and Zayn go before them so that he could talk to Shawn alone for a moment.

“Thank you for doing this, Shawn. I really appreciate you dealing with the third degree I’m sure Louis was giving you,” he says with a gentle hand on Shawn’s arm.

Shawn smiles. “Seriously Niall it’s okay. I mean it. Your friends are great, if only a little overbearing."

Niall rolls his eyes with a scoff. "A little?"

"Oh, come on. They just want the best for you. ,They care about you so much, you know.”

Niall looks over at the entryway that leads to the dining room with a smile on his face. “Yeah, I know. They are the best.” He looks back at Shawn, who has a few inches on him so he has to tilt his head up slightly to meet his eyes. Shawn's brown eyes flick down to Niall's lips and Niall licks them subconsciously. Niall takes a glance at Shawn's lips, full and pink and inviting. He starts to inch forward, and then-

"Oi, lovebirds! Get in here, the food's getting cold," Louis yells at them from the dining table, making the bubble that Niall and Shawn were in pop abruptly. _Fucking Louis._

"Right. Coming," Niall replies distracted. 

_What the fuck was that?_

The meal is delicious as Harry’s fajitas always are and conversation flows pleasantly while they eat. Niall had a soft spot for these get togethers because now that they all had jobs and partners in life, they never got to see each other as often as they all would like to. Well partners for everyone except him. They try, of course they do and that’s how this Valentine’s day thing got created.

After dinner is done, Shawn volunteers to help Harry and Liam clear off the table. Being polite but also most likely not wanting to be left alone with Louis again. Niall doesn't blame him.

“So Niall. Spill the tea mate. How are you _really_?” Louis asked while Shawn, Harry and Liam were out of the room.

Niall thought about the question for a moment before answering. In all honesty, right at the moment he felt overwhelmed with his confusing feelings for Shawn. But of course now was not the time to bring that up to Louis. So he settled for a different truth.

"I'm going to be honest with you Louis," Niall starts, resting his elbows on the table and placing his chin in his hands. "I am happy. Truly grateful for Shawn and how good he's been to me." It wasn't a lie at all because he is, of course, grateful that Shawn is here with him. Zayn spoke up then. "I'm so happy for you, Niall. Shawn seems like a really great guy." 

Niall grins at Zayn. "He really is."

For dessert, they have homemade cherry turnovers that Harry made earlier in the day. They are delicious since Harry used to work in a bakery and had quite the skills in the kitchen, in both baking and cooking. Shawn gives his compliments to the chef many times.

It seemed that Shawn had won his friends over successfully. Which, if Niall really thought about it and of what he knew about him, didn't surprise him in the slightest. 

Not long after dessert and two more glasses of wine, Niall and Shawn start saying their goodbyes to everyone. Liam hugs him tight and sways him side to side, whispering in his ear that he was delighted that Niall found someone like Shawn to spend his time with. That little comment made Niall feel a bit guilty for lying to his friends, but he had a feeling something was going to change before the night ended for him and Shawn. The almost-kiss that Niall has been avoiding thinking about made it apparent that whatever feelings he had for Shawn, were more than likely to be reciprocated.

The rest of the group hugs each other and then after a few lingering conversations, Niall and Shawn are in the car, headed back to their flats. The drive home has Niall thinking a lot about what had happened at Harry and Louis’ house. It is quiet with the radio at a low volume and love songs playing through the speakers on every station he turned to. 

What really has him pondering is the fact that Shawn didn’t tell him about his plan to act as his boyfriend before they arrived. The possibility that Shawn had just come up with the idea on the spot is there, but Niall isn't sure that was what had happened. He had answered all the questions the guys had thrown at him too easily from what he saw. Then again, Shawn had been left alone with Louis for the few minutes Harry and Liam had cornered Niall in the kitchen, so maybe not.

“Thank you again, for doing this, Shawn. I owe you one,” Niall says, breaking the silence in the car when they're ten minutes out from their destination.

Shawn looks over at Niall from the passenger seat with an unreadable expression and then looks down at his hands in his lap. The sun is starting to set in the west casting a golden glow on him that is almost ethereal.

“I wish you would stop thanking me so much,” Shawn says quietly with a sigh and a shake of his head. “How many times do I have to tell you that I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to until you finally believe me?” Shawn turns back to the window and Niall is glad that they only have a few more minutes until they’re out of this car.

“Sorry,” Niall says sheepishly. He keeps driving.

By the time Niall pulls into his regular parking spot at their complex, the silence in the car is too awkward to bear; he wastes no time in getting out. He does wait for Shawn by the entrance doors, though, because he’s not an asshole. He holds the door open and Shawn mumbles his thanks as he walks through.

They start up the staircases to their shared floor still in silence. Niall hates how it makes him feel. When they finally arrive at their floor, they hang around awkwardly, neither of them quite knowing what to say or do.

Shawn speaks up first, clearing his throat before he says, “I did have a great time today, Niall. Your friends are wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank y-” Niall stops himself, chuckling. “I’m so glad you could make it. You made this Valentine’s Day a lot more bearable to be honest,” he smiles, showing his teeth and Shawn smiles back.

“Did you wanna-” Shawn starts at the same time as Niall says, “Maybe we should-”

They both laugh at themselves. “You first,” Niall insists.

“Oh, um, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come inside. Maybe have a drink?”

”I think I’ve had enough alcohol for today, but I would love to come inside,” Niall answers with a grin. "I'm going to pop in to put the leftovers in my fridge real quick," he gestures to the to-go container in his hand full of fajita fillings that Harry insisted he take home with him.

"Sure, no problem. I'll leave my door unlocked for you." 

Niall unlocks his flat and closes the door before he does a little dance. He places the leftovers in the fridge and heads to his bedroom to put on more comfy clothes; a hoodie and some sweats. He freshens up in the bathroom and grabs his keys on his way back to Shawn's.

Standing outside Shawn's door with the anticipation that something big was going to happen next, he takes a calming breath and opens the door. The layout is much like Niall's flat, just flipped as it's on the other side of the hall.

Shawn is sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone. He had changed his clothes, too. 

"Knock, knock," Niall says to announce himself to the room.

Shawn looks up,"Oh, hey! Come on in." He puts his phone down on the coffee table and stands up,"You look cozy."

Niall flushes at the compliment and smiles at the ground. “Thanks. So do you." Shawn returns the smile.

"Um, would you like a glass of water? Maybe a chocolate covered strawberry? I made some this morning." 

"That sounds delicious, I'll take both the water and the strawberries, please," Niall answers.

"Cool. I'll be right back. Make yourself at home." Shawn disappears into the kitchen while Niall takes a seat on the couch. He wipes his sweaty hands on his sweatpants. He’s not sure why he is so nervous. Perhaps it’s just the whole 'being in an attractive guys’ home that’s got him all jittery. Or maybe it's just the fact that he hasn't done this in years. Either way, he's nervous as hell.

Shawn comes back out a few minutes later with a tray holding two glasses of ice water and a plate of neatly arranged chocolate covered strawberries. Niall’s mouth waters at the sight. He takes one of the glasses and takes a sip before grabbing a strawberry and biting into it. The sweetness of the fruit mixed with the hint of bitterness of the dark chocolate comes together perfectly and Niall moans at the flavor. Out of the corner of his eye, Niall sees Shawn shudder and he files that tidbit for a later time.

“You like it, then? I made the chocolate myself,” Shawn tells him, taking a strawberry for himself and licking the chocolate from his fingers where it had melted a little. Niall follows the movement with his eyes, staring at Shawn's mouth as it encloses around his thumb.

Niall snaps out of it and clears his throat, "Yeah, it's delicious." He goes in for another strawberry at the same time that Shawn does and they land on the same one. They giggle and blush when their fingers touch. The air has changed around them, charged with a different kind of tension than on the car ride home. A better kind.

"Here, open up," Shawn suggests grabbing the fruit and holding it in front of Niall's mouth.

Niall blushes but complies and opens his mouth. The berry bursts and juice drips down his face when he bites down. Niall quickly brings a hand up under his chin so that he doesn't get any stains on his shirt as he chews and swallows. 

"Um, you got a little something there," Shawn teases with a smirk, finishing the strawberry himself.

"Oh thanks for noticing," Niall snarks with a roll of his eyes, standing up, "Bathroom?"

"Down the hall, second door on the left."

Niall nods his thanks and goes to clean himself up. 

He's walking back up the hallway to the living room when he hears Shawn's voice.

"No, Julia, we haven't kissed. I don't even know if he wants to kiss me…. Yeah, of course I do….. it's not that easy, Jules…. Alright I'll keep you updated…. Thanks, babe. Love you, too."

NIall doesn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation, but it was hard not to. Shawn wanted to kiss him. That's what he heard. Shawn _wants_ to kiss him. _Shit_.

"I want to kiss you, too," Niall blurts out when he rounds the corner. The words startle Shawn and Niall rushes to explain. "Sorry, um. I heard you on the phone? And oh god you might not have even been talking about me but I just thought because there was that moment earlier today and I haven't stopped thinking about..."

Shawn is staring at him with wide eyes. He fish mouths a few times, then gets up from the couch. He crosses the room in four strides of his long legs so that he's standing right in front of Niall. 

"I haven't stopped thinking about it either," Shawn whispers and then connects their lips. Niall wraps his arms around Shawn's shoulders and deepens the kiss further. Shawn has him backed up against the wall and it's the best first kiss he's had in the longest time.

They have to stop for air at some point. Shawn keeps leaving kisses all over Niall's face and when he goes down to Niall's neck, Niall has to stop him.

"You don't know how much I want to continue," Niall says, barely able to stop himself from making an embarrassing noise when Shawn licks just below his ear.

"Why don't we, then?" 

"I have to take you out on a proper date first. Really woo you." Niall says, breathless.

"Oh, I'm plenty woo'd, babe," Shawn says, finally pulling back from Niall's neck and kissing him on the lips once. "We've known each other for how long now? I trust you and I promise we'll go on that date tomorrow." Shawn looks pointedly down at their sweatpants and raises an eyebrow, "Now, will you let me take care of you?"

Niall doesn't have the words, he just nods and watches Shawn get down on his knees.

* * *

Later, they're laying in Shawn's bed, both of them just in their boxers and Shawn's phone won't quit chirping his text notification sound. Shawn rolls over and reaches for his phone with blurry eyes, knowing it's his best friend Julia. He doesn't read any of the messages and just types out two words.

_We kissed._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I enjoy reading nice comments and receiving kudos! You can reblog the fic post [here](https://beelou.tumblr.com/post/629453850532888576)


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